All of the courses of Seabourn cruise ships, defined

Nonetheless, whereas the ships are smaller than what you may discover at a mass-market line, they are not cramped. Certainly, they’re among the many most spacious ships at sea when measured by their space-per-passenger ratio, which is about 50% greater than what you may discover on many mass-market ships. In addition they function at a virtually one-to-one ratio of workers to passengers — one of many highest ranges within the cruise enterprise.

Each space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxurious stage of a vessel.

Seabourn ships additionally provide such luxurious touches as marinas for water-based play when the vessels are anchored in calm and sunny locales.

Associated: The 8 finest luxurious cruise traces for magnificence and exclusivity

Each cabin is a collection, and the variety of eating places, bars and lounges is spectacular for vessels of this dimension.

Two of the road’s three sorts of ships — the Encore class and Odyssey class — are related in design. The principle distinction between the 2 is that the Encore-class ships are greater. They primarily are Odyssey-class ships with an extra deck for additional suites and public areas.

In consequence, the Encore-class ships can maintain 600 passengers, primarily based on double occupancy, whereas the Odyssey-class ships are designed to hold as much as 458 passengers.

The third and latest class of Seabourn ships, the expedition ships (Seabourn would not use a proper class identify for these vessels) are a lot smaller ships particularly constructed for expedition cruising — a kind of adventure-focused cruising that entails visiting hard-to-reach and off-the-beaten-path locations equivalent to Antarctica and the Arctic.

Expedition ships are designed to carry 264 passengers, primarily based on double occupancy.

Seabourn ships aren’t as huge or opulent as the luxurious vessels operated by a few of its opponents, most notably Regent Seven Seas Cruises (which principally markets vessels carrying 700 to 750 passengers). The road provides a extra subdued, intimate type of luxurious. If it is hovering areas loaded with dear marble and crystal chandeliers you are after, Seabourn might not be for you. Nevertheless, should you prize intimacy and magnificence with out quite a lot of showiness, Seabourn ships might be a sensible choice.

Encore Class

Ships in school: Seabourn Ovation (2018); Seabourn Encore (2016).

Seabourn’s two Encore-class ships, Seabourn Ovation and Seabourn Encore, are the most important vessels within the line’s fleet. In the event you’re within the “greater is healthier” camp concerning cruise ships, these are the Seabourn vessels you may wish to choose.

That mentioned, the ships aren’t all that completely different than the road’s smaller Odyssey-class vessels (extra on these under). Constructed on the identical platform because the Odyssey-class ships, simply with another deck, they characteristic all the identical most important public areas that exist on the sooner vessels, usually in the identical areas, with a handful of additives, essentially the most notable being a sushi restaurant.

As is the case with the Odyssey-class vessels, the hub of every Encore-class vessel is its centrally positioned public gathering place referred to as Seabourn Sq..

A revolutionary idea when it first debuted on Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sq. may finest be described because the ship’s lounge. Stuffed with comfy seating, workstations with computer systems, a puzzle desk and instances lined with books, it is a multipurpose area that’s half lounge, half cafe and half library.

On one finish of Seabourn Sq. is its most alluring characteristic — a European-style espresso bar serving fastidiously crafted cappuccinos and different espresso drinks, plus freshly baked pastries, selfmade gelato and different nibbles. The spacious room can also be house to a round concierge space at its middle the place workers might help you e book actions, and a visitor providers desk and a desk the place you possibly can e book future cruises.

Different main public areas on every Encore-class ship embrace the Grand Salon, a theater-like area with tiered seating that’s house to leisure at night time and serves as a lecture corridor throughout the day. The Membership is a comfortable lounge with a bar and a tiny on line casino on the aspect. On the high of the ship, overlooking the bow is the Commentary Bar, which provides stellar 270-degree views (even higher views than what is out there from the bridge, one deck under).

Eating choices embrace The Restaurant, the ship’s most important eating room, which provides elegant sit-down meals; The Patio, a poolside venue serving lighter fare; and The Colonnade, an off-the-cuff eatery with each buffet and table-service eating throughout the day.

The Patio converts into the table-service-only Earth & Ocean for dinner. Within the latter configuration, it provides bistro-style delicacies that rotates all through every voyage.

As well as, the ship is house to The Grill by Thomas Keller, an eatery created by the famed chef. It provides his tackle the basic American restaurant of the Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, along with his variations of such iconic American dishes as New York strip steak and lobster thermidor. Keller additionally designed dishes for family-style dinners with set menus served in The Colonnade on choose nights.

Distinctive to this class of ships is Sushi, a devoted sushi restaurant with simply 30 seats. Tucked away in a nook off a central stairway, it is a hidden gem providing beautiful and modern sushi and sashimi plates at night time. Through the day, it serves disassembled “bento containers” with cooked entrees equivalent to miso salmon and teriyaki hen — the latter arriving with miso soup and small dishes of salad, rice and oshinko.

As is usually the case with luxurious vessels, not one of the eateries have an additional cost.

The Encore-class ships even have a small however luxurious spa and wellness middle with 5 therapy rooms, a thermal space, a salon and a health space.

Decor-wise, the Encore-class ships have a extra yacht-like look than the older Odyssey-class vessels, with interiors created from top-to-bottom by well-known hospitality designer Adam Tihany. Tihany did not work on the sooner vessels, which have a extra Nordic-style sleekness.

I discover the Encore-class ships extra engaging of their design than the Odyssey-class ships, because of Tihany’s rethinking of the decor. That mentioned, I’ve combined emotions about their bigger dimension, which leads to a barely extra crowded really feel. That is most noticeable when on the most important pool areas of the vessels, which are not a lot greater than the principle pool areas on the Odyssey-class ships, regardless of the ships carrying a few third extra passengers.

On the plus aspect, the Encore-class ships have a number of further hideaways for out of doors lounging tucked into little nooks at their fronts and backs.

Odyssey Class

Ships in school: Seabourn Quest (2011); Seabourn Sojourn (2010); Seabourn Odyssey (2009).

As famous above, Seabourn’s three Odyssey-class ships are much like its two Encore-class ships in design, with the principle distinction being that they’re a bit smaller. At 32,326 gross tons, the three vessels measure about 23% smaller than the Encore-class vessels. They maintain about 24% fewer passengers.

The result’s that the Odyssey-class ships present a extra intimate really feel. The fundamental format of the ships within the two courses is roughly the identical, albeit with just a few notable variations. On the Odyssey-class vessels, you are touring with fewer folks, which leads to every little thing from fewer crowds round the principle pool to fewer folks within the informal The Colonnade eatery at lunchtime.

As with the Encore-class ships, the general public areas of the Odyssey-class ships revolve round a centrally positioned public gathering area referred to as Seabourn Sq., that includes components of a lounge, cafe and library.

The Odyssey-class ships even have Grand Salons with tiered seating for leisure and lectures, a comfortable The Membership bar and lounge, and a ship-top Commentary Bar that provides sweeping views.

The most important distinction with the Odyssey-class ships is that they’ve one much less deck and, subsequently, 24% fewer suites. In public areas, the one notable distinction is that there is no such thing as a sushi restaurant and a smaller The Grill by Thomas Keller. (Initially, these ships did not have Thomas Keller eating places, however they had been carved out of area beforehand devoted to the informal eatery, The Colonnade.)

The deck the place the sushi restaurant and enormous Thomas Keller restaurant are positioned on the Encore-class ships is the deck that’s lacking on the Odyssey-class ships.

Nonetheless, not like many expedition ships, Seabourn Pursuit and Seabourn Enterprise are luxurious vessels, with most of the upscale venues and facilities discovered on Seabourn’s greater, extra conventional luxurious ships. If you realize the larger ships, you may really feel proper at house on the expedition ships.

Seabourn Pursuit and Seabourn Enterprise each have Seabourn’s signature Seabourn Sq. space that provides snacks, espresso and a visitor providers desk. Every provides a model of the principle restaurant referred to as The Restaurant and the extra informal The Colonnade eatery.

Rounding out the general public areas are a smaller model of Seabourn’s spa and wellness middle and a bar and lounge referred to as The Membership.

Suites on these vessels are particularly swanky, with shiny bogs all that includes bathtubs. Stroll-in closets present ample storage, even for lengthy sailings, and each room has a small drying closet for out of doors journey clothes. The latter is a welcome contact after wet days and moist landings (whenever you placed on waterproof boots offered by the ship and step off the Zodiac into the water whenever you attain the shore).

As well as, small in-room touches, like Swarovski binoculars and a pillow menu, additional improve the ship’s already considerate design.

The expedition ships additionally provide options which can be distinctive to their class, from a “mud room” with cubbies the place passengers can prep for landings in distant locations equivalent to Antarctica to a pair of submarines which can be accessible for extra-fee underwater excursions.

In brief, the ships are like smaller, extra adventurous variations of the larger Seabourn vessels.